Dr. Sheryl ā€œSheriā€ Ann Dawson Adams was born July 2, 1947, in Baton Rouge, La., but grew up in her fatherā€™s hometown of Jackson, La. It was a small town, where she and her three brothers would play outside, and Sheri spent many hours with her friends riding horses.

Next to riding horses, Sheri loved to read. She wanted to major in English in college, but her high school teachers advised her against it because job opportunities were scarce. She also enjoyed playing in the band and decided to major in music education at Northeast Louisiana State University in Monroe. However, she realized too late that she was not gifted in music. ā€œI couldnā€™t sing harmony,ā€ she shared. ā€œIt was a true drawback in music not to have a good ear. By the time I was certain I had made a mistake, I was a junior in college and my youngest brother was coming along. The money was going to him.ā€

Sheri finished the degree in 1969 and got a job teaching band, but she immediately started going to school at night to get her English degree. When she completed that degree, she got a degree in secondary guidance counseling and worked as a part-time guidance counselor and English teacher. She loved her job, but in 1972, decided to take a year off to pursue a degree in religious education at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS). When she started her classes, she realized she liked theology more than religious education. At this point, Sheri didnā€™t know what the future would hold, because in the 1970s women didnā€™t teach in seminaries.

She went back to her job as guidance counselor and teacher, but couldnā€™t let go of the dream of teaching theology in a seminary. She met with the doctoral committee at NOBTS. They asked her why she wanted to waste her time and money to obtain the degree knowing that she would never be able to teach. ā€œI told them, ā€˜I can live with not getting to teach, but I canā€™t live with not being prepared to teach if an appointment would come along,ā€™ā€ Sheri said.

During her time at NOBTS, she found out from a representative of the International Mission Board that she could teach in a foreign country. She also met Dr. Bob Adams through mutual friends. His wife had died after a 12-year battle with cancer. He was a professor at Southwestern Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and had also served on the mission field. She also knew two of his daughters, because they had been on one of the five trips she took to Timnah, Israel, for archeological excavation and biblical study. Sheri and Bob were married in 1982, and she received her Doctor of Theology in 1983.

In the fall of 1984, she went to missionary orientation and then language school in Costa Rica. She started teaching Theology and Women in Ministry in 1985 at International Baptist Theological Seminary in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Their daughter Rachel was born in 1987, and they came back to the states in 1994. Bob went back to teaching at Southwestern. He was contacted by a friend, who needed a recommendation for his application to teach at the new divinity school at ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„.

Sheri told Bob to tell the friend that if the job didnā€™t work out for him, to let GWU know she would be interested. When their friend interviewed with Dr. Bob Lamb, who was the School of Divinity dean at the time, they agreed he was not right for the job. Lamb mentioned that Dr. Chris White, who was GWU president at the time, would like to find a woman for the job. ā€œWhite had said, ā€˜If we hire a woman, we donā€™t have to explain who we are,ā€™ā€ Sheri related. ā€œBob Lamb told our friend that he had no clue where to find a woman who had a PhD and teaching experience. Our friend said, ā€˜I have her number.ā€™ā€

Lamb called Sheri that evening, and she and Bob joined the GWU faculty in 1995. Sheri was hired as associate professor of theology and church history and was promoted to full professor in 2001. She retired in 2017. During the time they were at ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„, Sheri and Bob provided resources for students who were in need. They opened their home to any number of students over the years, to the point it became known as the ā€œAdams commune.ā€ Most of the care they showed to students was done without the knowledge of anyone except the student who was the recipient.   

Sheri taught Introduction to Church History I, Introduction to Church History II, The Cross, The Changing Face of Baptists, Women in Ministry, and Capstone Seminar. Additionally, she led civil rights and womenā€™s rights study tours to Czech Republic and Poland, Italy, Peru, Northern Ireland, Western New York, Atlanta and Americus, Ga., Birmingham, Selma, Montgomery and Tuskegee, Ala., Nashville and Memphis, Tenn., and the Highlander School in Greensboro, N.C.

ā€œStudents and travel were my favorite things,ā€ Sheri affirmed. ā€œThe civil rights trips are the highlights of my life. The point I always tried to make was my belief that violence solves nothing. It was one of the most outstanding contributions of Jesusā€”rather than be mean to your enemy you should pray for them and be good to them.ā€

Sheri is the author of two books: ā€œWhat the Bible Really Says about Womenā€ and ā€œThe Bible and Sinbearing: New Questions about Old Answers.ā€ She is bilingual and has also written numerous articles and book chapters in Spanish, including a commentary article on the book of Esther. She was a Scholar-in-Residence with the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs in Washington, D.C., and spent her sabbatical in Chile and Scotland, where she researched the life of William D.T. MacDonald, one of the patriarchs of Baptist work in Chile.

She was the first president of ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ Universityā€™s American Association of University Professors chapter, and attended the AAUP conference in Albuquerque, N.M., in 2003. For several years, she worked on the committee that edited the Advent devotion booklet. The position gave her an opportunity to get to know faculty and staff across ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ā€™s campus.

In her classes, Sheri gave students a chance to share openly in a non-judgmental environment. She wanted to challenge her students to think differently about the issues that were dear to her heart. ā€œWomen make great pastors when they are given the opportunity,ā€ she asserted. ā€œI like to think that I modeled what I hope was a good woman in ministry. I would also hope I made a difference with the civil rights piece. I grew up a racist. Iā€™m not proud of it, but nobody modeled anything else. I may have been raised one, but I donā€™t want to die one. It was the African-American adults in the divinity school that I learned so much from. I would hope that maybe there was some understanding on both sides because of what I tried to do.ā€

Sources: Personal Interview by Jackie Bridges (2018), emerita presentation speech by Dr. Ben Leslie, GWU files

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Susan Carlisle Bell (1951- ) was the third child born to Elizabeth and Thomas Jones on Aug. 18, 1951, in Wytheville, Va. She loved the outdoors, nature and farm life. Bell and her sisters grew up riding horses and cleaning out stalls at one of her fatherā€™s farms. He even raised cattle at another farm with a friend, and her father also owned a farm supply business where he sold everything from appliances to spring chickens.  

Her mother was a stay-at-home mom and freelance artist. ā€œMy grandmother Carlisle lived with us,ā€ Bell related. ā€œHaving her presence in my life made it all that much richer. They were strong Christians and believed in hard work and treated others with respect.ā€ 

Besides being a painter, Bellā€™s mother was a talented musician and skilled in sewing and needlework. She led each of her daughters to take up one of her talents. ā€œI donā€™t know if we had a leaning or she encouraged it,ā€ Bell reflected. ā€œI always got the art supplies. She always made sure that I had plenty of supplies and a place to create. Thatā€™s what I tell parentsā€”Sometimes itā€™s not the lessons as much as it is the availability and the willingness to put up with some creative messes.ā€ 

Bell said most of the time her mother did her creative freelance work while she and her sisters were in school. However, if her mother had a deadline looming, she would work at home in the evening, and Bell loved watching her mom draw and paint.   

Having grown up in a small town in the shadow of her sisters, Bell decided she wanted to go to college anywhere that her sisters werenā€™t. A cousin recommended Mary Baldwin in Staunton (Va.) She earned her bachelorā€™s degree in art history and studio from there in 1973. She obtained her Master of Arts in Christian Education in 1975 from Presbyterian School of Christian Education in Richmond, Va. In 1977, she had the privilege of auditing a class on portraiture at Gordon College in Boston, Mass., taught by Conger Metcalf, a nationally known painter. He taught the class as a thank you to Gordon-Conwellā€™s seminary president, Dr. Harold John Ockenga. Ockengaā€™s wife was an artist, and Conger had come to faith under Ockenga’s preaching. 

ā€œOne day he would draw the whole human head as bone, another day just as muscle, and then the last day he put the flesh on, and the life in the eyes, and it was magical,ā€ Bell reminisced.   ā€œThen, he started crying, and he said, ā€˜All my life Iā€™ve studied the body but itā€™s only been in the last few years that Iā€™ve met the creator.ā€™ That impacted me so muchā€”that one sentence was not only his testimony, but his knowledge and reverence for the human body and the creator has impacted my life ever since, and I was maybe 24.ā€  

In the 1980s, Bell moved to Cleveland County, N.C., with her husband and daughter, Elizabeth. When she and her husband divorced, Bell applied at ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ not knowing that the art professor had resigned just as school was opening for the fall semester. She was hired part time in 1986, and the job was exactly what she needed. ā€œElizabeth, who was in the fifth grade, had the continuity of staying in the same school with her friends,ā€ Bell explained.  

In 1990, she earned her Master of Arts in art education from the University of South Carolina. Every year, she completed an intensive workshop for continuing education. In these workshops, she studied various mediums and techniques with Christopher Schink, Gerald Brommer, Skip Lawrence, Ed Knippers, Wolf Kahn, Carl Dalio, Carol Katchen, and many more.   

At ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„, Bell developed the art minor and taught the following classes: ā€œArt Education for the Classroom Teacher,ā€ ā€œArt History,ā€ ā€œStudio: Drawing, Painting, Life Drawing, and Ceramics,ā€ and ā€œMedia: Acrylics, Pastels, Watercolor and Collage.ā€  

She also created the class, ā€œChristianity and Art,ā€ which was a student favorite. Many of Bellā€™s students were English or religion majors, and she noted, ā€œthe art component beautifully dovetailed, because the way you study a painting is very much the way you would study a scripture, letting the author/artist speak, looking at the contents, looking at their wider work and being an observer of details. The way you would do creative writing or study a poem is the same way.ā€ 

As part of her class, students read a book by Henry Nouwen, a Catholic priest, who studied Rembrandtā€™s painting of the prodigal son, and used it to describe how he was both the prodigal and the elder brotherā€”and then God called him to be the father. ā€œNouwen says in his book, ā€˜I don’t know if the painting is helping me to understand the scripture or the scripture is helping me to understanding the painting,ā€™ā€ Bell stated.  

Nouwenā€™s book is tied to a special highlight of her teaching career. ā€œOne of my students said to me, ā€˜Ms. Bell, I’ve been the prodigal and this book and this painting has helped me to see that God loves me unconditionally,ā€™ā€ Bell described. ā€œMoments like that are the reason you teach.ā€ 

Bell won several student choice awards for her teaching. She also led extensive museum studies in 15 countries and over 75 American museums. She continues to be a frequent lecturer for church, school and community groups. She enjoys working in acrylics, watercolors, ink, and collage. Her experiences as a teacher gave her opportunities to study the human figure as well as landscape and still life in abstract and realistic styles. Influenced by her art historical studies, she values the use of the elements and principles of design to create strong compositions. 

Reflecting on her career, Bell observed, ā€œAm I a teacher who paints or an artist who teaches, for over 40 years I have enjoyed both. Historical and museum studies inform my work as well as yearly painting workshops. Michelangelo chose as his epitaph: ā€˜I am still learning.ā€™ I love that! The students I have taught and the different subjects and mediums have encouraged me to keep learning. My studies and my teaching have motivated me to explore a variety of styles, mediums and motifs.ā€  

Written by Jackie Bridges, April 2022 

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After Dr. Carolyn Billings (1946-) was born, her father gave her a piggy bank to save money for a piano. She started taking piano lessons in the first grade and soon had her own instrument. 

“When I was in second grade I decided I wanted to be a piano teacher when I grew up,” Billings shared. “And I never changed my mind.” 

Billings grew up in North Wilkesboro, N.C., and she graduated from Wilkes Central High School. While earning her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance at Salem College in Winston-Salem (N.C.) she spent time as an accompanist for modern dance classes, which helped her make connections that led her to the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana to complete her Master of Music in Piano Performance in 1970. 

She then worked as a piano instructor at the Fine Arts Center of Clinton, Ill., and later as an instructor who taught piano, music theory and humanities at Ottumwa Heights College in Ottumwa, Iowa. 

After she was enrolled for several years in the Doctor of Musical Arts degree program at the University of Missouri at Kansas City (UMKC), she learned of a job opening back in her home state of North Carolina. 

Despite discovering that the deadline had passed to apply for the position as assistant professor of music at ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„, she contacted George Cribbā€”then the chair of the music department and now professor emeritus of musicā€”to share her interest in the position. After interviewing and playing a recital in the school’s chapel, Billings was offered the job and joined ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ in 1979. 

Following the completion of her doctorate at UMKC in 1983, she was promoted to associate professor of music at ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„, and she later became a professor of music. 

Billings served ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ a total of 35 years before retiring in 2014. “I’d like to be remembered as a teacher who inspired students to strive to do more than they thought they could do,” she offered. 

Billings received the Fleming-White Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1999, and she served as the vice chair of the ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ faculty from 2001-2003. 

In her retirement, she continues to live in Boiling Springs. She enjoys playing the piano, teaching young piano students at her home, catching up on home projects and finding more time to go on hikes. 

ā€Æ&²Ō²ś²õ±č;Sources: Personal Interview and GWU Files, September 2015 

ā€Æ&²Ō²ś²õ±č;– Matthew Tessnear 

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By the time Kent Blevins graduated from high school, he had lived in four states: South Carolina (where he was born), Nebraska, Oregon, and New Jersey. Although his fatherā€™s job led the family to move every few years, Blevins always felt an attachment to North Carolina. Both parents were from North Carolina (father from Ashe County, mother from Johnston County) and the family would try to visit family in North Carolina when the traveling distance wasnā€™t too great.

When selecting a college, Blevins chose Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., located near his Aunt Mary and Uncle Ivan Blevins. Parts of many weekends were spent at their house, where he enjoyed Maryā€™s home-cooked meals.

His initial studies at Wake Forest focused on pre-med courses, since he was proficient in math and science and motivated by a desire to help people. Passion for the subject matter was lacking, however. Then one class, taken as an option among the required general education courses, changed the direction of his life. ā€œI took a religion courseā€”an ethics course taught by Dr. McLeod Bryanā€”and I loved it,ā€ he asserted.

He started taking more religion courses and changed his major to Religion. ā€œWatching my professors and the way they interacted with students, I thought it looked like a great way to make a living,ā€ he related. ā€œI went to the Chair of the Religion Department at Wake Forestā€”interestingly enough his name was Dr. Bill Angell. I said, ā€˜Dr. Angell, if I wanted to do what you are doing, teach at a college, what would I need to do?ā€™ He looked at me and said, ā€˜Well young man, youā€™d need to go to seminary.ā€™ I said, ā€˜Okay. Whatā€™s a seminary?ā€™ā€

Blevins chose to attend The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. He received his Master of Divinity in 1978 and his Ph.D. in Christian Ethics in 1982. His dissertation was ā€œAn Analysis of the Hunger Debate from a Christian Perspective.ā€ In 1979, he completed additional graduate study in moral theology at The Catholic University of America.

He was ordained to Christian ministry in 1982. Nearing the end of graduate school, a friend told him about serving as a teacher with the Foreign Mission Board (now the International Mission Board) of the Southern Baptist Convention. He applied and was hired by the FMB to teach at the Portuguese Baptist Theological Seminary, located in a suburb of Lisbon. He lived in Portugal from 1983-1991, and while teaching at the seminary also pastored, at different times, two Portuguese Baptist churches.

In 1991, Blevins accepted an invitation to teach practical theology at the International Baptist Theological Seminary (IBTS) in RĆ¼schlikon, Switzerland. When a major source of funding for the seminary shifted from the Southern Baptist Convention to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) in 1992, Blevins and his wife left the FMB to join the fledgling CBF missionary organization. IBTS moved to Prague, Czech Republic, in 1995.

At IBTS, Blevins taught courses in ethics and practical theology and served as Academic Coordinator (dean) and eventually as Co-President. In early fall, 1997, the IBTS Board of Trustees and the European Baptist Federation (which owned IBTS) decided to restructure the academic programs of the seminary. The new plan resulted in the termination of the existing academic programs of the seminary effective with the end of the 1997-98 academic year. Blevins, along with almost the entire faculty, declined an offer to remain at IBTS following the transition to the new arrangement. He knew that within a few months he would be without a job and had no idea what would come beyond that point.

ā€œOut of the blue, I got a call in January or February of 1998 from Alice Cullinan, Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„,ā€ Blevins said. ā€œSomeone had submitted my name to them for a teaching position, and I didn’t discover who it was until years later. I went through the process and was offered the position. We packed up and moved to Boiling Springs in the summer of 1998.ā€

Blevins is pretty sure the person who recommended him was Earl Martin, who knew GWU Professor of Religious Studies Jack Partain. ā€œEarl had taught at the seminary in Switzerland. He was a good friend,ā€ Blevins stated. ā€œThat was an example to me of how community works. He knew me and he just threw my name into the hat, unbeknownst to me. I didnā€™t know anything about the position being available. He took the initiative to do that, and his act of kindness changed the direction of my life. It is one of those things that people do just because they are great people.ā€

After years of moving around, Blevins arrived at ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ and has not left. He taught for 24 years and after retiring in 2022, still lives in the community. Hired as an associate professor of religion, he was promoted to professor in 2004, served as faculty chair from 2005-2007 and department chair from 2008 to 2012.

He has valued the spirit of connectedness on the ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ campus. ā€œIā€™ve been very lucky. In Portugal, Switzerland, Prague and here, I’ve always had great faculty colleagues,ā€ Blevins commented. ā€œYou go to academic conferences, and you learn very quickly thatā€™s a rare thing.ā€ Blevins is especially grateful for the collegiality, mutual support, and care for one another that has characterized the faculty in the Department of Religious Studies and Philosophy.

During his years at GWU, Blevins taught introductory level courses in Old and New Testament along with a variety of other courses including Christian Ethics, Christian Beliefs, and World Religions. Through the years, he enjoyed teaming up with professors from other academic departments to teach combination classes in the Honors Program. They offered such topics as Science and Religion, Human Rights, and Church and State. He also led seminar courses on Developing a Christian Perspective Toward Power, Inequality as a Biblical Concern, and Contemporary Theology. An avid racquetball player, Blevins often taught the PHED course on racquetball for the physical education/wellness department.

He relates teaching to the parable of the sower and the seeds that fall on fertile ground. ā€œYou hope that some of it makes a difference to somebody,ā€ Blevins observed. ā€œI have no illusions, especially in those gen-ed classes. You know that most students who take Old Testament or New Testament are in there because they are required classes.ā€ His own experience, however, illustrates the difference a required gen-ed class can make in the trajectory of oneā€™s life.

In those gen-ed classes, instead of focusing on dates and facts, he challenged his students to ask good questions. ā€œThatā€™s what I love about religion; I don’t care what your specific answers are or what you come up with at a particular moment in time because thatā€™s likely to change over your lifetime anyway,ā€ Blevins remarked. ā€œI want you to have a curious mind. I want you to keep pushing yourself, to challenge yourself, and to learn new things and not get caught up in the trivia of life. Lift up your eyes and look at the horizon and think about where you are going and what it means. That’s what drove me when I was a college student and itā€™s what I tried to instill in students.ā€

Blevins served as faculty advisor for the Ethics Bowl team, which competes annually against other North Carolina colleges and universities. He was coordinator for the Life of the Scholar (LOTS) Program. The LOTS committee sponsors and encourages academic activities outside of the classroom, including organizing an annual multidisciplinary conference where students present their scholarly work, inviting interesting academic speakers to campus, and encouraging student writing and publication.

He served as president of the National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion (NABPR) in 2014 and has served on the editorial board of NABPRā€™s ā€œPerspectives in Religious Studiesā€ since 2018. He is a member of the American Academy of Religion and the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and served on the North Carolina AAUP Executive Committee (representing private institutions) from 2006-2007. Blevins is the author of ā€œHow to Read the Bible Without Losing Your Mind: A Truth-Seekerā€™s Guide to Making Sense of Scripture,ā€ published by Wipf & Stock in 2014.

Outside of campus, a favorite activity was open mic night at the Boiling Springs coffee shop on Main Street. He and a couple of professors, along with local chiropractor and musician Ezra Edgerton, started the event that was held every Wednesday night for about 15 years. It provided a way for students, faculty and staff to connect with the community. Even as the shop changed owners several times over the years, Blevins and his friends were still invited to host open mic night. Performers could do anythingā€”except karaoke. ā€œYou could read poetry. You could sing,ā€ Blevins described. ā€œWe had jugglers. We had instrumentalists of all sorts. Mostly it was singing and it was great. We had a regular crowd of students who would come.ā€

Blevins often played on open mic night with Edgerton and Don Olive (who taught in the Department of Natural Sciences), joined in later years by Kevin Bridges, who works in the GWU library. Edgerton and Blevins, sometimes accompanied by others, also performed at other places around the county. ā€œWhen Ezra died (in 2020) it hit me hard,ā€ Blevins shared. ā€œHe was one of my best friends in the world. We had a connection that was very deep. I didnā€™t pick up my guitar for over a year.ā€

In retirement, Blevins is working on playing his guitar again and continuing to pursue studies in the Italian language. He has plans to continue a book series he began in 2014 with the publication of ā€œHow to Read the Bible Without Losing Your Mind.ā€ The second will focus on theology and is tentatively titled, ā€œHow to Think about God Without Losing your Mind,ā€ and the third title will be related to ethics.

He and his wife, Gail Peace, plan to travel nationally and internationally. She is retired from teaching in elementary school and from working in the Office of International Programs at ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„. They took several study-abroad trips together with students over the years.

Kent and Gail are also enjoying time in retirement with their family.  

Blevins noted that retirement is about looking forward with anticipation of what is to come, while also reflecting with gratitude for his time at GWU shared with a vibrant learning community of colleagues and students who together helped create a nurturing and caring environment where opportunities, possibilities, and dreams could flourish and find embodiment. ā€œInstitutions change,ā€ he reflected. ā€œPeople come and go. But those relationships with colleagues and students endure.ā€

Source: Personal Interview by Jackie Bridges (2022)

Published: February 2023

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Dr. Nancy Rogers Bottoms was born in Clemson, S.C., to Hilton and Evelyn Thorne Rogers while her father was a student at Clemson University. Hilton Rogersā€™ job as an extension agent meant the family moved to various locations around the state of South Carolina. The family eventually returned to Clemson, where Bottoms graduated from high school.

Bottoms attended Emory University in Georgia for her undergraduate degree in art history. Before classes started, she attended a freshman camping retreat. There she met a young man who was full of life, laughter and adventure. His name was Glenn Bottoms. ā€œHe was rebellious,ā€ Nancy Bottoms laughed as she recalled their meeting. In 1969, five days after graduating from Emory University, Nancy and Glenn were married.

Her first job was teaching middle school English and art in Forsyth County, Ga. The Bottomsā€™ lives changed significantly when they agreed to teach junior high at a Federal Reserve school operated by Catholic nuns in Pukatawagan, a town in Manitoba, Canada.

The couple moved to a dramatically different climate and culture. They arrived in Pukatawagan when there was only one hour of sunlight daily and left when there were 23-hours of daylight. The school children became so excited when spring arrived, and they could swim in the river. However, spring meant there was still ice in the river and temperatures were barely above freezing. ā€œIt was an adventure,ā€ Bottoms reflected.

Next, the couple moved to Ottawa, Ontario, where Glenn completed his masterā€™s. While there, Nancy taught English in the Adult Education Program at Algonquin College. She fondly remembers her time in Ottawa where she found a passion for teaching adult learners.

The couple came to Boiling Springs, N.C., in 1985 when Dr. Glenn Bottoms began teaching for ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ University. In 1994, Nancy Bottoms began adjunct teaching in the Department of English Language and Literature at GWU. While working, she obtained her Master of Arts in English Education from ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„. In 2002, Bottoms graduated with her doctorate from Union Institute and University. Her studies focused on mythography, which is the study of the origins of myth and includes scholarship in literature, art, anthropology, sociobiology, philosophy, and religion, as well as mythology.

She was hired full time in 2005 as an assistant professor teaching in Department of Art, the Learning Assistance Program and for the English Language and Literature Department. She earned full professor status in 2017. Throughout her time at GWU, Bottoms presented research on education, mythology and southern culture at several conferences. She also worked on independent and collaborative art projects throughout her career at GWU. 

In addition to working in the English and art departments, Bottoms was heavily involved with planning and teaching ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„’s first year student experience course, University 111. She developed curriculum for courses in mythology and African American art, served as a mentor for many undergraduate research projects and senior theses, and organized study abroad trips to Athens, Greece, and Rome and Florence, Italy.

In 1991, Bottomā€™s passion for adult education sparked an idea to create the College for Senior Adults at ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„. She planned and coordinated classes each semester for retired area residents to have the opportunity to expand their knowledge no matter their age or position in life. She served as director of the College for Senior Adults until 2018.

She was the faculty secretary from 2015-2019 and supported the Life of the Scholar organization by arranging luncheons and cultural evenings. Bottomā€™s love for art led her to serve as the gallery director for the Ali Pouryousefi Memorial Art Gallery, Dover Library and Communication Studies Hall.

Outside of GWU, Bottoms volunteered her time to help countless communities by obtaining a grant for education enrichment of young adults, serving as the area coordinator for the Society of Childrenā€™s Book Writers (1989-1993), and volunteering for the ā€œArt in the Heart of the Cityā€ project in Washington, D.C. (1989) to name a few.

Bottomsā€™ heart truly lay with her students, and her students valued her in return. Both she and Glenn loved having students over to their home to get to know them on a deeper level. At the end of each semester, the Bottoms generously opened their home to students for a drop-in celebration.

At her retirement ceremony GWU Associate Provost for Arts and Sciences and Professor of History Dr. David Yelton said, ā€œI suspect Dr. Bottoms is most proud of the personal contribution she has made to countless first-generation college students, who found in her a desperately needed source of mentoring, nurturing, support, and encouragement. Indeed, she has been the difference that enabled many such ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ students to overcome the long odds they faced.ā€

Bottoms worked at ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ for over three decades. When reflecting on why she chose to stay at GWU, she recalled how supportive the school had been to her family and what a great place Boiling Springs was to raise her and Glennā€™s son, Ary. With admiration in her voice, Bottoms said, ā€œĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ is, in the true sense of the word, unique.ā€

Source: Personal Interviewā€”Jackie Bridges

Written by GWU 2020 alumna Claire Coile

Edited April, 2022

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Dr. Frieda Brown (1948-) graduated from high school in Morganton, N.C., before earning bachelorā€™s (1970) and masterā€™s (1972) degrees at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She went on to earn her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the University of Louisville, Ky., in 1979.

Prior to coming to ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„, her career included numerousā€Ø positions in psychology and child development. She served asā€Ø owner and psychotherapist at Family Psychological Services, as founder and director of Rainbow Connection at Shelby (N.C.) Presbyterian Church, as psychotherapist and consultant at Shelby Pediatric Center, and as director of the Child and Youth Division at the Cleveland County (N.C.) Community Mental Health Center.

Brown taught numerous undergraduate and graduate classes as an adjunct professor of psychology at ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ before joining the University faculty full time to teach psychology in 1983.

During her tenure, Brown also served as professor on the faculty of the School of Psychology and Counseling as well as the School of Divinity. In addition, she served as coordinator of the Mental Health Counseling Program. After completing her career at ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ in 2013, she shared that she takes pride in the role she played in helping the University develop a top-quality program for school and mental health counselors.

Brown said she wanted to be remembered ā€œas someone who cared deeply about relationships, seeing them as the avenue for growth, creativity and connection.ā€ She described herself as ā€œa lifelong learner who was committed to personal growth and development that allowed her to continue to be a positive resource for students, the psychology department and the Universityā€ throughout her tenure.

Throughout her career, Brown has continued to be a leading contributor to the field of psychology and counseling, and her innovative model for crisis counseling has been utilized throughout many clinical practices, crisis events, and natural disaster situations. Her efforts with victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 gained her national recognition, and she continues to be a resource in times of crisis situations. She has contributed to numerous articles, conferences, editorials, and co-authored the book, ā€œCrisis Counseling and Therapy,ā€ with Dr. Jackson Rainer.

She is married to Dr. Thomas Brown, a longtime orthodontist in Shelby, N.C. They have two children, Christopher Thomas Brown and Amanda Leigh Brown Kotis.

Professor Brown now lives in Cornelius, N.C.

Source: Personal Interviewā€”Matthew Tessnear, ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ University archives (August 2014-February 2015)

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Dr. Joyce Compton Brown (June 8, 1942-) was born in Troutman, N.C., to Daniel Edgar and Catherine Vera Troutman Compton. Joyceā€™s father was a farmer and a furniture factory worker. Her mother was a housewife who struggled to hold the family together after her husband died at the young age of 39, four months after Joyce was born. Her mother died when Joyce was 14, and her older sister and brother-in-law finished raising her.

Brown graduated from Troutman High School in 1960 and went on to earn her Bachelor of Science degree in English and French in 1963 and her Master of Arts degree in 1965, both from Appalachian State University. She received her Ph.D. in English with emphasis on Modern American Literature in 1972 from the University of Southern Mississippi. She also attended summer sessions in Appalachian culture, music, and literature at Berea College and the Hindman Writersā€™ Workshop in poetry at the Hindman Settlement School in Kentucky during the summers of 2002 and 2003.

In 1962, Joyce married Les Brown, and over the years they had two daughters. Melissa was born in Boiling Springs, N.C., on Aug. 2, 1967; she graduated from ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ with a double major in English and French and a minor in art. She earned her Master of Arts at Clemson University. Michelle was born in Hattiesburg, Miss., on Oct. 7, 1969, while Joyce and Les were both at the University of Southern Mississippi earning their doctorates. Michelle has a doctorate in French.

Joyceā€™s first full-time position was teaching English and French from 1964-66 at a high school in Queen Anneā€™s County on the Eastern shore of Maryland. Her next position was teaching English at ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„. She was at ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ for 39 years, retiring in spring 2005.

While at ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„, Brown was active in the work of the faculty by serving as the chair of the English Department for six years, during which time she oversaw the revision of the English curriculum. In addition, she served as vice chair of the faculty; she chaired and served on numerous faculty committees; she presented at many professional conferences across the nation; she published essays, poetry, and papers in various literary publications; she was the advisor to ā€œReflections,ā€ the University literary magazine, for several years; she helped develop the Universityā€™s faculty sabbatical program; and she was instrumental in starting the Universityā€™s scholarly lecture series which now bears her name, an honor awarded her upon retirement.

Brown has also received several honors for her writing, including the Winston-Salem ā€œPoetry in Plain Sightā€ contest and recognition from the N.C. Poetry Societyā€™s Heritage Poetry Award. For several years, she and her husband, Les, shared the writing of a column in The Shelby Star newspaper. Joyce has published poems in several small publications and participated in writing workshops. Over the years she has received many invitations to present her writing at various conferences and symposia. One of her favorite honors is having Ron Rash, well-known author of novels and short stories and a former student, pay tribute to her as a teacher who had a tremendous influence on his life by the encouragement she gave him to become a writer. She has written and published essays about Ron and other Appalachian-focused writers, as well as some scholarly essays on Southern and Appalachian culture.

Although she moved to Troutman, N.C., she enjoyed participating in ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ā€™s Southern Appalachian Culture series over the years and continues to be active in Appalachian Studies. She and Les continue to share an interest in writing, music, and art. They have started book and writing groups in Troutman, and they enjoy hiking and kayaking with friends.

Joyce Compton Brown is the author of four books of poetry, Bequest (Finishing Line), Singing with Jarred Edges (Main Street Rag) and Standing on the Outcrop and Hard-Packed Clay (Redhawk Publications), released in 2021. She has published poetry in numerous journals as well as scholarly essays and prose in a previous life. She enjoys roots music, all things Appalachian, and her Appalachian husband, Les Brown.

Source: Personal interviewā€”Dr. Darlene Gravett

Updated: August 2014ā€”Joyce Brown

Updated: May 2022 ā€“ Noel T. Manning II

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Dr. Leslie (Les) Morris Brown (Jan. 19, 1941-), the son of C. Eugene and Nelle Hensley Brown, was one of the few babies born at home during that time. He grew up in North Cove, in northern McDowell County, N.C. Les received Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts degrees from Appalachian State University, where he met and married Joyce Diann Compton from Troutman, N.C.

They are the parents of two daughters, Melissa Diann Brown and Michelle Leslie Brown.

Les received the Ph.D. in vertebrate zoology from the University of Southern Mississippi. His dissertation was on the hematology of several species of turtles from the Gulf States Rivers. After teaching at ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ for over 40 years, he retired and was elected professor emeritus. While a professor of biology at ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ University, Brown taught human anatomy and physiology, vertebrate zoology, general biology and physical and environmental geology in the day program. He also taught human biology and environmental science in the Degree Completion Program.

Brown has done some shoestring research on the Harvestmen (Leiounum elegans) or daddy longlegs of Linville Caverns, N.C. He presented the results of 16 years of study of the harvestmen at the N.C. Academy of Sciences. He has, along with his wife, Joyce, researched historical and oral accounts of events that occurred in North Cove, N.C., the community where he was reared. He had a paper jointly published with his wife, Joyce, in the ā€œJournal of Appalachian Studiesā€ (ā€œRiding the Rail to Legend: The North Cove Tally War as Show of Force, As Manipulated Account, As Oral History.ā€) Another scholarly article, ā€œThe Crime of Malachia Hayden: Loss of a Blue Ridge Community,ā€ was also published in the ā€œJournal of Appalachian Studies.ā€ Abstracts of these papers were published in the ā€œEncyclopedia of Appalachia.“

Brown continues to be interested in Appalachian Studies, especially as the discipline relates to his childhood community in the mountains of North Carolina. He also enjoys writing fiction and has published short stories emerging from his mountain origins in ā€œAppalachian Heritageā€ and ā€œNow and Then Magazine.ā€ His short story, ā€œIron Bridge Sunday,ā€ was published in the 2006 edition of the ā€œBroad River Review,ā€ the literary journal of ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ University, and his photography is on the cover of the 2014 edition. One of Brownā€™s poems was honored with a finalist place in the North Carolina Poetry Societyā€™s Poet Laureate Award for 2013. He has also had a short story selected as second place in the Western North Carolina Writers Network contest.

Brown is known as the ā€œFather of the LOTS program,ā€ which began in 1996 and has continued as the Life of the Scholar. The purpose of the program is to enhance and develop scholarly pursuits among university students and faculty. The program included, during his tenure, a scholarly lecture series, a scholarly showcase and colloquium, publication of the ā€œĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ Review,ā€ as well as other projects and events.

During his years at ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„, Brown was a devoted participant in the Writing-Across-the-Curriculum (WAC) yearly conferences and participated in a panel discussion at the national conference in Indiana one year. He also presented three papers at other National WAC conferences, focusing on incorporating writing exercises into science classes.

Les and Joyce live in Troutman, N.C. For several years they wrote a monthly column for The Star in Shelby, N.C., and have started book and writing groups in Troutman. Les has honed his painting and drawing skills, which often depict local landmarks in McDowell and Iredell counties. Les was the feature artist for an exhibit and show at ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ā€™s Tucker Student Center Art Gallery; faculty, staff, the community and alumni were able to witness a side of Les and his creativity that may have been overlooked while he served in the Natural Science Department.

Joyce and Les continue to enjoy travel, hiking in the mountains, and kayaking.

Source: Personal interviewā€”Sherman Parrish, Doris Banner

Updated 2014: Les Brown

Updated May 2022: Noel T. Manning II

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Dr. Claude Douglas Bryan is the son of Rudolph and Beatrice Bryan. Born in 1954, he spent his childhood surrounded by the rugged beauty of Greenwood, S.C. The oldest of three children, he became the first in his immediate family to pursue postsecondary education. Once he started school, he continued taking classes for many years after receiving his doctorate, epitomizing the definition of a lifelong learner.

Bryan attended Furman University (Greenville, S.C.) for his undergraduate degree in English and sociology. Then, he moved from small-town South Carolina to the vast state of Texas where he followed his call to ministry at Southwestern Theological Baptist Seminary in Fort Worth. At Southwestern, he obtained three degrees: Master of Arts in Religious Education (M.A.R.E.), Graduate Specialist in Religious Education (G.S.R.E.) and his Ph.D. in philosophy, psychology and counseling.

In 1980, after completing his masterā€™s degree, Bryan traveled to Africa to teach at the Nigerian Theological Baptist Seminary. His first teaching experience was in a foreign country that struggled to maintain electricity and running water, but he will never forget it. ā€œIt was challenging, but very rewarding,ā€ Bryan emphasized about those two years that he spent educating ministry students.

Bryan met a young woman named Julie who was enrolled in the same missionary journeyman program he was. Bryan went to Africa and Julie traveled to Bangkok, Thailand. They corresponded during their two-year mission and were married a year after they both returned to the states. The Bryans went back to Texas and Southwestern, so he could pursue a doctorate. While there, he was employed as a teaching fellow for Southwestern and a marriage and family life counselor.

In 1985, Bryan was hired by Howard Payne University located in Brownwood, Texas, where he would spend the next 16 and one-half years of his teaching career. His initial role at Howard Payne was professor of Psychology and Interdisciplinary Counseling. Throughout his time at the Baptist school, he found himself in many roles including Dean of the School of Humanities (1997). Education was always his priority; and while dean, he simultaneously performed his duties and taught three classes. During this time, he was also chosen as a recipient of the Piper Professor, an award that recognizes 10 outstanding college professors in Texas each year.

Bryan always wanted to return home to the southeast and the opportunity came when he was informed of a teaching position at ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ University. He applied, interviewed and in 2002, became a professor of Religious Education at GWU. Three years later, Bryan assumed the role of chair of the Department of Religious Studies creating a lasting impact on the school in a short time. Students recognized Bryanā€™s teaching abilities, and he received the ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ University Student Choice Award three consecutive years. His favorite class to teach was the History of Religious Education.

Bryan moved in and out of administrative roles within academia, but in 2008 he permanently switched over to administration as ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„’s Associate Provost for Academic Development. In this position, he supervised multiple departments including Academic Advising, the NOEL Center for Disability Resources, the Honors Program, the Writing Center, the Learning Assistance and Enrichment Program and Undergraduate Research. Bryan praised the efficiency of the leadership within the departments he managed.

Throughout his career, Bryan continued to take classes and further his already extensive education. For instance, he obtained a bachelorā€™s degree in social work at Howard Payne. He took courses ranging from microbiology to business classes to jogging. His motto ā€“ ā€œAlways be prepared.ā€

His preparation extended into the artistic realm. Creative writing became a passion for Bryan when he drafted his first play for a class assignment. GWU produced two of his plays, ā€œI-Ya-I-Ya-O” and ā€œRummaging for Will.ā€ He also published a novel entitled ā€œWhat the Willows Knowā€ in 2014. Hymn lyric writing served as another outlet for Bryanā€™s artistry.

Bryan also increased his knowledge about other countries and cultures. Since his first trip to Nigeria, he continued to teach and travel internationally. Some of his trips included: China, Lithuania, Romania and India. ā€œI had the skill set, and they had the need,ā€ he related. ā€œThere was an opportunity, and I needed to respond to that opportunity.ā€ Retirement, however, does not mean a slower pace of life for Bryan. He and Julie returned from the Philippines in January 2020 right before the COVID-19 pandemic closed borders. He continued his work at the Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary through online teaching.

In addition to his international service, Bryan has been heavily involved in his community through church and the local rotary chapter, Boiling Springs Area Rotary. The Bryans have been involved in church life at Boiling Springs Baptist and Shelby (N.C.) Presbyterian.

When looking back at his life, Bryan highlighted the two bookends of his career ā€“ teaching at Howard Payne for over 16 years and ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ for over 17 years. Both universities helped to shape him into the successful professor and administrator he became. He fondly remembers the relationships he enjoyed with the students and faculty at GWU. ā€œOne of the take-aways from ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ is the importance of adaptability,ā€ he observed, ā€œbecause needs change and people have to change with them.ā€

Bryan and Julie have two sons, Matthew and Stephen. Matthew graduated from ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ with a communications degree, and Stephen graduated from GWU with his Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Post-Baccalaureate Family Nurse Practitioner.

Source: Personal Interviewā€”Claire Coile

Written by GWU 2020 alumna Claire Coile

Edited July 2022, Jackie Bridges

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Chuck Burch was born on July 12, 1957, to John and Esther Burch of Charlotte, N.C. Looking back on his life, he sees the numerous ways that God directed his stepsā€”from attending ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ University to meeting his wife, Franki Bailey Burch, and becoming vice president for Athletics at his alma mater. After serving in that position for over 25 years, Burch was honored as athletic director emeritus before his retirement in 2023.

His relationship with ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ began in 1975; he was a walk-on for the football team. ā€œI came to ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ without any hope or promise of playing; it was just one of those things,ā€ he reflected. ā€œI did not visit campus. Even though I stumbled upon GW, for me it was the right choice. I have a lot of lasting friendships and memories of that time.ā€

He was ecstatic when he made the football team, and his enthusiasm only multiplied. Four years later, he had a season of eligibility left. When the coach asked him to stay, delaying his graduation a year, his answer was immediate. ā€œI was passionate about football, but was never good enough to play beyond college,ā€ he shared. ā€œSo, when I had the chance to play one more semester, I did not have to think about it. Oh, yeah, Iā€™ll do it.ā€

After graduation, he was accepted to graduate school at Eastern Kentucky in Richmond. Eastern had a reputable criminal justice program, and his plan was to earn his masterā€™s degree and work with juveniles.

However, after a year into the program, the university started a Master of Science in athletic administration. ā€œI love sports,ā€ Burch affirmed. ā€œI love athletics. Discovering that I could get paid to work in athletics sounded like a dream come true.ā€

Switching over to athletic administration lengthened his time at Eastern Kentucky, but it was perfect timing according to Godā€™s plan. Because of his extra year at ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ and the added time at Eastern, he and Franki crossed paths. Interestingly, Eastern was Frankiā€™s second choice for graduate schoolā€”so she and Chuck might not have met at all.

ā€œFranki was offered a graduate assistantship to go to Columbia in New York,ā€ Chuck explained. ā€œThat was a prestigious offer.ā€

Franki came to Eastern, because her mentor at Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania knew the trainer at Eastern, who was also the president of the National Athletic Trainers Association. If she took a graduate assistant position with him, she would learn from his expertise and establish connections in the field.

After she arrived at Eastern, she and Chuck were introduced by mutual friends and started dating. They were married on Aug. 7, 1982. Before their wedding, Chuck accepted a position at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., as assistant director of Sports Information. For the next eight years, Burch was promoted to assistant director of Athletics, a combined position of assistant director of Athletics and Sports Information director, and associate director of Athletics. Liberty transitioned to NCAA Division I while he was there.

Then, in June 1990, at age 32, he was named director of Athletics at Liberty. He was responsible for coordinating and managing the operation of 16 teams. He supervised the administrative staff and head coaches and budget planning and execution. He implemented the marketing and promotions program, which included soliciting corporate sponsorships. He also ensured NCAA compliance with all NCAA, Big South Conference, and university policies, and served as the athletics liaison with community and other university personnel.

He was not looking for a job when he received a call in 1996 from former GWU President Dr. Chris White, asking him to visit the campus. Burch accepted the invitation, thinking they wanted advice about transitioning to NCAA Division I. About halfway through the meeting, he realized they were interviewing him for the job of director of Athletics.

Sometime later, White called to offer him the job. Burch accepted the offer with a request that the job title change to vice president of Athletics. ā€œI felt strongly and still do that the athletic director needs to answer directly to the president,ā€ he asserted. ā€œI was the voice for many student-athletes. I thought it was important that I could go straight to the president.ā€ 

Coming back to his alma mater was an honor and a privilege. ā€œMy experience as a student and an athlete at ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ shaped who I am personally and professionally,ā€ he noted. ā€œThe relationships you have ā€” not just with other students ā€” but the relationships students have with faculty and staff and other people, that is what makes ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ special.ā€

Burch, the coaches, and staff started to work toward transitioning to Division I. The first step was to create a winning Division II program, which they did. Before the move, ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ ranked 25th in the nation and many programs advanced to tournament play.

The Runnin’ Bulldogs moved into NCAA Division I athletics in 2000, and ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ gained full conference membership in the Atlantic Sun Conference two years later. ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ gained associate membership in the Big South Conference for football before the 2002 season and moved into full membership for all other sports on July 1, 2008.

Well-respected in the NCAA Division I athletics community, Burch served as a member of the FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) Playoff Selection Committee and held a variety of roles during his career at both the national and conference levels.

Growth was a key theme during Burch’s time in Boiling Springs, with seven varsity sports added during his tenure. ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ student-athletes also excelled in the classroom, putting together a streak of 14 academic years of a combined departmental GPA of 3.0 or better. That academic effort produced numerous team and individual academic achievements ā€” at the conference, regional and national level ā€” over Burchā€™s last decade at the University.

Under his leadership, ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ saw 15 teams win conference titles at the Division I level, in addition to numerous individual honors ā€” ranging from All-America and All-Conference recognition to conference titles and national tournament berths.

ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ athletics also constructed several major facilities while Burch was there, including John Henry Moss Stadium and Bill Masters Field for baseball, Brinkley Family Stadium for softball, the ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ Football Center and Spangler Stadium renovation, Greene-Harbison Soccer Stadium, tennis courts and a major renovation to ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„’s swim facility. ā€œObviously, I didnā€™t do all that by myself,ā€ Burch acknowledged. ā€œWe had good teams of people involved in those projects ā€” donors, administration and administrative support.ā€ 

Whatever he did, Burch strived to see his actions as a ministry. Early in his career, a preacher shared with him that he represented his faith every day by the way he interacted with other people. ā€œWhat is the level of expectation we place on our student-athletes?ā€ Burch pondered. ā€œAre we asking them to conduct themselves consistent with and reflective of the University’s goals and values? How do we interact with other schools? Are we dealing with them in a selfless servant attitude? Whether you like it or not, once you profess to be a representative of God, everything you do makes a statement.ā€

Burch continued, ā€œI conveyed this to our coaches ā€” their ministry is how they deal with their sports; how they bring people in to develop champions; not just champions on the field, but champions in the classroom and in life.ā€

One of his most memorable moments came in 2019 when Head Coach Tim Craft and the menā€™s basketball team won the NCAA berth and took on top-seed Virginia, the eventual national champion, in the first round of the tournament on March 22, 2019, in Columbia, S.C. ā€œIt was a tremendous experience, and it was a moment that brought everybody together,ā€ Burch noted. ā€œIt brought tears to my eyes when the team came onto the court before the game. It was so loud, and there were so many alums at that game. It was such a defining moment to get that kind of support. The coverage we got out of ESPN, the publicity was incredible, but seeing all of that and knowing at the core were the values that were important to Tim Craft was monumental. He developed that championship team without compromise. The core of that program was Christ-centered and everything he did was with that in mind. To see them succeed, affirmed for me that you can win a championship in this environment doing it the right way.ā€

Sources: Personal Interview by Jackie Bridges (2023) and GWU Sports files

Posted: January 2024

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